


Nothing You Can Do

by Neonna



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, M/M, Minor Violence, Nightmares, One Shot, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-16
Updated: 2016-10-16
Packaged: 2018-08-22 20:36:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,251
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8300122
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Neonna/pseuds/Neonna
Summary: Lance feels helpless when he witnesses Shiro having a nightmare because that'll be him someday.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I said I wasn't going to write in this fandom, but here it is. Again, if any tags, or ratings need to be different let me know. Enjoy!

Lance was startled awake when the bed jerked under him, and a drawn groan reached his ears. His first instinct was to roll the other way with a mumbled complaint on his lips, but a gasp had his eyes flying open because there was no way he was going to let Keith to _that_ when he was sleeping. He flopped over, sitting up with a ready glare, but the look faltered when he saw Keith's eyes in the dark. All thoughts that Keith was trying to have sex with Shiro while Lance slept withered away as soon as Lance's tired brain registered the state of their leader.

Shiro lie on his back in between them in the same position he had fallen asleep. His lips were parted, and he was panting out whispered words to himself. Shiro was clammy to the touch as though he were sick with fever, and his expression was strained. Keith's eyes slid from Lance back to Shiro.

"Nightmare," Keith mumbled.

"Again." Lance phrased it as a statement, not a question because it was fact...for all of them, but Shiro most of all. The journey of all the other Paladins was still early, they hadn't seen what Shiro had, and watching Shiro never failed to make Lance's stomach drop. That would be him one day.

"How long has it been going?" Lance carefully settled up against Shiro, sliding a hand over the ridged plane of scars to rest against his chest. Shiro's pulse was fluttering.

"A few minutes far as I can tell," Keith replied.

"Were you sleeping?"

"Not really."

They watched Shiro in silence while he tossed his head against the pillow, moaning out loud. Shiro slept because he needed to be clear-headed to lead the team, but it was often short, or fitful, plagued by nightmares of past events, and other dark things. They had learned that it was best not to wake Shiro unless the dreams became severe. Otherwise the waking could almost be just as traumatic, when he became conscious with two pairs of hands on him, scared, and disoriented. The Black Paladin was prone to lashing out during that time. So they let him sleep, hoping that he found his way out of whatever horrors he was reliving.

When Shiro began to pant in short, harsh gasps, Lance's heart ached. He hushed him, wanting to offer comfort, but it didn't seem to reach their leader as he groaned out again. Shiro was whispering unintelligible streams of words.

"Lance," Keith said. "Grab his arm."

Keith's hand was already resting on Shiro's bicep, his grip loose, but fingers tensed and ready. Lance did the same, and no sooner had he removed his hand from Shiro's chest to his arm when Shiro flailed. If they hadn't held him, they both would have been elbowed. The restraint sent Shiro into a panic, and he cried out.

"Shiro, hey! It's just us!" There was strain in Keith's tone. "Lance, it's getting worse. We have to wake him up."

The scenario played out before him as though Lance were watching it through water. The air seemed to have become thick, and unbreathable. Keith was shaking Shiro with his hand on his shoulder, but Shiro was beginning to fight him. There was something in Keith's eyes, and he turned them to focus on Lance, pleading. Keith was trying to say something to him, Lance couldn't hear his words, and the thing in Keith's eyes disappeared, his expression hardening. Keith turned back to Shiro, getting up onto his knees, and pushing the blanket from all of them.

Shiro was thrashing, his back arching clear off the bed as though he were being tortured. Lance wondered when he had sat up again because it was easy for Keith to push him out of the way so he wouldn't get struck by Shiro.

"Shiro, please wake up. It's just me." Keith was trying not to restrict Shiro's movements while keeping both hands on his shoulders.

Something was cold was under his feet, and the room suddenly spun like a carnival ride. Lance's hand shot out so he could lean against the wall for balance. The bed with his two lovers was on the other side of the room. Keith had moved to sit on Shiro's torso, which was obviously an ill plan because Shiro swung at him. Keith jerked backwards, and stumbled out of the bed. The blanket had wrapped itself around Shiro's ankles, which was lucky as he tried to follow Keith from the bed. Keith was bracing himself with his hands covering his face as Shiro lunged at him, and Lance needed to get out of there.

His legs moved on their own with the distant sound of his bare feet slapping against the hard floor. The bridge was his automatic destination. Someone had left the map on, the stars lighting up the room, but they were just blurry little points. Stupid spots that contained stupid lives that they had to save because of some stupid reasons beyond his comprehension.

When a pained wail echoed off the walls of the bridge, Lance's heart ached for them. No one should be in that kind of agony. His cheeks were wet, and he nearly ran to be somewhere else. He couldn't be around anyone right now, he wasn't in the right mental state to support anyone, but he wondered what he would do if it were him. The tightness in his chest made him gasp, and he choked on his own sobs. It was him making the suffering sounds, and without anything left to do, Lance curled in on himself on the floor, pulling his knees up to his chest in an instinctual move to soothe himself.

The hand on his shoulder was gentle, warm, familiar, and Lance flinched away, automatically feeling guilt flushing through him. The hand came back, smoothing over his shoulders, and down his back before a warm body pressed against him. Shiro pulled Lance to lean into him, chuckling softly when Lance refused to uncurl himself. Lance's sobs eased, but the tears continued to flow freely down his cheeks.

"Are you okay?" Shiro spoke when Lance finally fell completely silent except for the quaking of his shoulders.

Lance shook his head. He couldn't look at his lover, even though a part of him was concerned that his waking scuffle with Keith had hurt him, hurt both of them. The pain in his chest was still burning hot, and overriding everything else.

When another set of hands wrapped around him, and a second body pressed against him from the other side, it made Lance start. Keith had been so quiet he hadn't heard him approach, or had Lance just been that loud?

"That's gonna be me," Lance said after a long while. The strain of speaking, and revealing himself to his lovers caused the tears to flow again. "Soon I'm not going to be able to sleep, and be afraid of the things in the dark. What's going to happen to me?"

"We don't know," Shiro said calmly.

Lance felt Keith press a kiss to the side of his neck, and he looked at him because he couldn't face the idea of looking the other way. Keith's face was bruised, looking as though Shiro had landed at least one good hit. Lance put his chin back on top of his knees, and swallowed, feeling useless.

"We don't know what'll happen," Shiro said. "But we'll figure it out together."

**Author's Note:**

> I thought it was interesting to make Lance sort of disassociate even if this was an angsty pile.
> 
> Finally have a new [tumblr](https://neonnawrites.tumblr.com/) Feel free to drop by and say hello!


End file.
